New Beginnings
by cydthesquid07
Summary: Maximum "Ride" Martinez's world is turned upside down when she moves with her family to Virginia. Max has never been one for trying new things so how will she react when she is forced to embrace a new home, new school, new friends, and new surprises? And on top of that, new feelings for a new boy in her life? Will she adapt or will it all be too much for her to handle?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! I wanted to let you guys know that this was my old story called _Maximum Disaster_. It had a lot of potential but I was really young when I wrote it and since then my writing has changed (and hopefully improved). So I deleted the old story and edited it. Now I have reposted it as _New Beginnings_. I renamed it that for obvious reasons and also because I thought it fit the story quite well. I have edited the story from it's original version. If you have read my old version then please know that the story is still the same. I just changed it to fit my writing style. I honestly think this one is a lot better. I really hope you guys like it!**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to James Patterson. **

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I sang along to the CD I had made specifically for this road trip and tapped my fingers against the steering wheel. My playlist consisted of nothing but my favorite songs because I needed them to get me through the drive and take my mind off of things. I listened to the voices of my favorite artists and bands filling my car and telling me everything was going to be alright.

I followed the country road around a curve and suddenly the bright, midday light was shining in my face making me have to squint to see the road ahead of me. I reached into my middle console to get my sunglasses out. I slipped them on my face and once I had them on and the world was a shade darker I could see my mom's suburban in front of me. She had insisted that we all ride together and I could have my car towed to Virginia but I really needed the time alone in my own car to clear my head. Besides her music was prehistoric. Like the 60's, prehistoric. After my countless protests she finally agreed to let me drive my own car.

Further ahead a gas station came into view and I pulled out my cellphone and dialed my mom's number. I would've been more cautious about driving and using the phone but these back roads were deserted so I figured my recklessness wouldn't be too frowned upon. I turned the music down while it was dialing so Mom wouldn't think I was totally irresponsible.

"Max?"

"Hey Mom, I'm running low on gas. Can we pull into that Shell station up ahead?"

"Sure Sweetie. Your sister has to pee anyways."

"Cool." I ended the call.

I pulled into the gas station behind my mom and drove around to the pump. As I was pumping the gas, I watched amused as the passenger door to my mom's suburban swung open and my younger sister, Ella, ran inside.

"Max, honey!" My mom called from the door. "Do you want anything?"

"Something with lots of caffeine! Oh, and some Twizzlers, please!" I was feeling fatigued from the long drive and desperately needed some sugar in my system. As I waited for them to come back out I sat on the tailgate of my beat up, rusty truck and let my mind wander.

It was like watching a movie in reverse. In my head I saw myself driving backwards along the highway all the way back to our cheap Brooklyn apartment. I saw us walking backwards through the doorway and unpacking the moving van and putting all the furniture back where it went. Where it belonged. I watched us sitting around the small dining room table over plates of spaghetti with shocked expressions on our faces as Jeb, my mom's boyfriend, told us the news. Rewind some more and we're back at the start. When Jeb first bumped into my mom at the grocery store, also bumping into our lives.

I suppose I could have gone further back but I was too tired for it at the moment.

Besides I was pulled out of my reverie by Ella approaching with a coca cola and Twizzlers in hand. She tossed me the goods and announced, "I'm riding with you the rest of the way."

"Says who?"

"Says me. I'm riding with you, unless you want me to die. Death by 60's jams."

"Fair enough," I said after gulping down a sip of cola. I was grateful for the cold drink. The sun was beating down heavy, even though it was already September. "But this is only a pity ride."

We slipped into the car and followed our Mom out of the lot. I rolled down the windows to feel the breeze on my face. "Open the Twizzlers."

"A please would be nice."

"You're in my car, Goober. I don't have to say please."

She stuck her tongue out at me and opened the pack of candy. I went to grab one just as she pulled the pack out of my reach. Next thing I know, we're laughing and wrestling over the Twizzlers, while I was simultaneously trying to drive.

Ella's cellphone dinged and she read a text message. "Mom says to behave." I looked at the car ahead of us and I could see the silhouette of her shaking her finger at us through her back window. Which only made me laugh harder.

"Tell her not to text and drive."

"Oh hey. I like this song."

"Did I say you could touch my radio?"

"Get over it, Max. Your car's a piece of crap. It's a miracle you haven't broken down yet."

"Shh! Don't jinx her!" I scolded Ella. I caressed my dashboard and cooed, "She didn't mean that, baby. I love you and I have faith in you."

"Please pull over. I'd rather endure moms music."

The next hour consisted of harmless bantering and loud, obnoxious, probably very poor singing. I had a very comfortable relationship with my sister. She was only 14 but we got along well. I took care of her. I could probably even be credited for raising her. Things were hard sometimes. We managed.

We rode for a while in a silence that was the opposite of awkward when Ella spoke up. "So, are you ready to move in with our new Dad?"

"Ew, don't call him that. He's just Jeb."

"I take it you're not too enthralled with the idea."

"Are you?

She nibbled on a Twizzler for a moment. "No. But mom seems happy."

I watched the dotted lines on the road flashing by as we drove. Finally I said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. She hasn't been with anybody since Dad. She deserves it. I just hope Jeb's good for her."

"She isn't as uptight as she normally is. She needed to loosen up a little. So I think he's helping."

"Do you like him?"

"I don't really mind him. I mean I'm not like Team Jeb or anything but I'm not quite Anti-Jeb either… What about you?"

"I'm trying not to have an opinion about him. As long as Mom's happy, I'm happy. I don't want to ruin that."

"Yeah, I get what you mean."

"Are you going to miss home?"

We both looked at each other solemnly before bursting out into hysterical laughter.

We laughed it off because it was easier for us. But deep down we knew the truth. Our lives have been crap up to this point. This was a second chance. However, we were the type of sisters who communicate through sarcasm and we were known to make the best out of situations. Meaningful talks weren't really our specialty. Neither of us were good with words. It was easier this way. So we laughed.

The giggles died down and in the silence that followed we were no longer in my cherry ford pickup. We were in a home with cracked foundation, a broken thermostat, baths with cold water, and holes in the wall the sizes of fists. We were kids lying in bunk beds in a Brooklyn apartment, trying to sleep through the shouting in the kitchen. We were kids pretending to be asleep as a man stumbles into our room and tickles us with his stubble as he plants alcohol soaked kisses on our foreheads for the last time.

We were glad to leave.

I sighed, "Yeah, yeah, Jeb's our savior. Whatever. I'm just not sure I'm ready to live with the guy."

Ella's phone rang. Mom relayed some information to her over the phone. Ella hung up and said, "Well ready or not, we're almost there."

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**I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! I would really love for some feedback. Let me if you liked it or not in the reviews. Feel free to message me or leave suggestions or opinions. I would really appreciate it! Thanks again. Don't forget to review! Next chapter will be up soon!**

**-cydthesquid07**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I hope you all like this chapter! So far I'm doing good about updating. I wanted to say thanks for the positive feedback I got on the first chapter! I'm so glad you all enjoyed it! This chapter is written in more than one perspective. Please let me know what you think.**

**I just got back from Spring Break so I'm pretty tired. I went to a theatre convention. That might sound super lame but to me it's totally my natural habitat. I hope to be a playwright someday. And there's a Cydney fun fact for you. But anyways, I'm absolutely exhausted yet I couldn't wait to post this chapter. I'm really excited about this story, guys, and I hope you are too. **

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to James Patterson.**

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**MAX**

The house we pulled up to was nothing at all like I imagined.

What I had imagined was a suburban house that looked identical to all the other houses on the street and had a 10x10 patch of grass and neat trimmed hedges.

What we pulled up to was a large, white, two-story house complete with a wrap-around porch, and white picket fence. There was a thicket of trees separating the house from the neighbors. And the lawn was spacey and lined with flowers. It looked like something out of a magazine.

No wonder Jeb had kept it a secret.

"Holy shit," I muttered, putting my truck into park.

Ella too had her jaw hanging slack in shock. "I know the dude is a scientist but for what? NASA?"

"Maybe he sells human organs illegally on the black market."

"Or maybe he invented a new super drug and is the leader of a mafia or something."

(Mom would later assure us since we weren't listening the first time that he was a brain surgeon).

Ella and I exchanged a look and took a deep breath. We hopped out of the truck and prepared to confront our new lives.

I didn't get very far before stopping in my tracks. My attention was suddenly captured by my Mother greeting Jeb in a loving embrace. They kissed and when she pulled away I was shocked to see tears on her face. My Mother rarely cried so when she did it always hit me like a punch.

She cried when her father died. She cried when she learned her husband wasn't the man she thought he was. And she cried when he left.

But this was a different kind of crying, I could tell. There was a giant smile on her face, accenting her delicate features. And Jeb was smiling too. And it was so clear. She was happy. And this was a new beginning for her too. Maybe bigger than mine or Ella's.

I had to allow myself a smile before continuing my walk up to the porch where I said hello to Jeb.

Jeb was a nice guy, I had to admit. And he was charming and handsome. It wasn't hard to see why Mom fell for him. He was polite and always a gentleman and he was willing to do anything for my Mom. I tried my hardest for the longest time to find a fault in him but I always came up short. So instead I decided to quit playing the obnoxious step-daughter role and tried getting along with him.

He gave me a side hug which weirded me out a little but I went with it. "Maximum!"

"Jeb, how many times have I told you to call me Max?" I asked as politely as I could.

He ignored me. "How was the drive?"

"Bloody hell."

Mom swatted my arm while Jeb laughed. "But the house is beautiful."

"I'm glad you think so," He replied. "Your mother and I have the master bedroom downstairs and your bedroom is upstairs as well as Ella's."

"Wait, you mean Ella and I don't have to share a room anymore?" I gasped, as Ella joined us on the porch. Ella and I had shared a room since the beginning of time. I gave her my best Bambi eyes before blurting out, "Oh, thank the heavens above!"

Ella shoved me into the house and we took our time wandering around and admiring each room. It was absolutely amazing. I could be exaggerating but I had grown up in a Brooklyn apartment so this house was to me, Cinderella's castle. Although to anyone else it was probably just a normal house.

I had finally made it upstairs and stood in front of the door at the end of the hall which was marked with a sticky note that said 'Max' on it. Ella's was marked with her name as well. I was a little upset that they had picked out our rooms for us instead of just letting us duke it out like normal people. That is until I opened the door.

My room alone was bigger than our entire apartment back home. There was a large window on one wall and all the other wall a wide set of doors that opened up to a balcony. I tried to take in the grandness of it all. I couldn't. This was more than I could have ever expected.

A knock sounded on my door and I turned to see Jeb and Mom standing there smiling at me. "How do you like it, Max?"

I had to take a moment to assemble my thoughts. "It's…I love it, actually."

Ella burst in, pushing Mom and Jeb aside. "Why the hell does she get a freaking balcony?"

I rolled my eyes. And so it began.

**FANG**

"Fang, look!" My little sister shouted at me from the window. I went over to her to see what she was pointing at. Next door I could see men unloading things from a moving van and carrying them through the front door. There was Jeb, who we had met earlier this week. He was with a woman and they were drinking lemonade on the porch.

But what caught my attention was the girls sitting on the tailgate of a beat up red truck. Or more specifically the older looking one who looked to be about my age. She looked connected yet disconnected to all of it. She watched the movers pass her with a curious look on her face.

I couldn't help myself. She was very pretty. Her hair was long and wavy and was a dirty blondish color. She was tall and slim. She wore a red flannel with the sleeves pulled up, denim shorts, and black hi-top converse. She was sitting on the tailgate with her legs swinging over the side. The sunlight was shining on her like the heavens above were trying to tell me something. She looked so casual yet utterly stunning at the same time. I was actually stunned. I'm _never_ stunned.

I had to physically force myself to look away.

"Come on, Angel. Leave them alone."

But at that moment my little brother materialized beside me and shouted, "Mom! The new neighbors are here!"

I clasped a hand over his mouth and hissed, "Gazzy, shut up!" But it was too late. Mom came fluttering over to the window and grinned. Here we go.

I slunk down into the couch as she giddily announced, "We're going to go say hello. It's a good thing I just made a pie."

"Mom you knew they were arriving today. It's not a coincidence that you made a pie," I retorted.

She ignored me and pulled me off the couch by my arm.

"Fang it won't kill you to be social. Plus they have a daughter your age. You two can be friends."

"Why do we have to be such a cliché?"

"I don't know what you mean." She replied innocently.

"Greet the new neighbors with a welcome-to-the-neighborhood pie? Come on, Mom."

"It's called being friendly, Sunshine."

My dad had just joined us from his office and we shared a kill-me-now look. At least he was on my side.

Before we walked out the front door, Mom turned and assessed us. She tried to fix our hair and make us presentable as best as she could before giving up. "Just try to look semi-functional."

Next thing I know we're crossing the path between our houses and infiltrating our neighbor's space. We walked to the porch where Jeb and the woman were sitting. The girls were still sitting on the truck. I tried not to stare.

Jeb stood to greet us. "Hey! It's good to see y'all again! Valencia, honey, these are our new neighbors, the Montgomery's."

The woman stood and beamed at us. I noticed that she looked a lot like who I assumed were her daughters. "It's nice to meet you."

My mother started off the introduction process. "I'm Anne and this is my husband."

"I'm David. Welcome to the neighborhood. These are our children. Angel and Zephyr." Angel looked innocent as ever while 'Zephyr' took it upon himself to mention his nickname which I'm sure must have made my mom internally cringe.

"You can call me The Gasman or Gazzy for short." The new neighbors didn't seem too perplexed which I took as a good sign.

When I realized no one was going to introduce me I said, "I'm Nick." They didn't need to know my nickname. But apparently The Gasman thought differently because he mentioned that I was normally called Fang. Which I assume also made my mother internally cringe.

"We brought you a pie!" She announced, fluidly changing the subject.

Valencia smiled. "That's so sweet." Then she called over to the girls on the truck. "Girls, come meet the neighbors! They brought us a pie."

I tried to make myself look as chill as possible which probably had the opposite effect and watched as they hopped off the tailgate and walked over to us.

**MAX**

"Hey look, you think those are the neighbors?"

"I hope not. I'm not up for socializing right now. Or ever."

Ella pointed to a boy who looked about my age. "He's cute."

I swatted her arm down before he saw. "You think every boy is cute."

"Yeah but this one is especially cute. No. Cute isn't a strong enough word. He's gorgeous. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

"Okay no more Shakespeare for you." I rolled my eyes but unfortunately she was right, like always. The boy was cute. Maybe even hot. Summer's day hot. I wasn't one to get all gooey over strangers but I wasn't going to deny myself the pleasure of looking at him. He was tall and slender. Although he was thin I could see the muscles in his arm move as he shook my Mother's hand. His skin was a tan olive color. Like a Greek God in a movie or something. And his hair was in a black shaggy mess around his head. He was decked out in faded, torn blue jeans and a baseball tee that was white with black sleeves. His shoes, I noticed were dingy black converse like mine.

"Max, you're drooling."

"Shut up, twerp." But I had to force myself to look away.

We sat there hoping that we would go unnoticed but we were never that lucky. Mom, of course called us over. "Girls come meet the neighbors! They brought us a pie!"

Ella groaned and I mumbled, "What the hell is this? A damn lifetime movie?"

But we obeyed and plastered on our fakest smiles. When we reached them Mom thankfully introduced us. "These are my daughters Ella and Maximum."

"You can just call me Max. Nice to meet you." We shook their hands and when I reached the boy, whose name was apparently Nick, I couldn't help but meet his eyes. They were obsidian black yet bright and lively at the same time. Never have I ever seen eyes like his.

And immediately I was drawn in.

**FANG**

I shook her hand, but all I could think was '_Holy shit, her eyes_.' It wasn't too intelligent and I knew if I opened my mouth to say something it would be my downfall. So I kept my mouth shut and tried not to seem like a total lame-wad.

Again, it was such a cliché. She was the girl next door. I could practically see the plot line unfolding before me. But I couldn't help it. She drew me in with her big brown eyes.

And so it began.

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**Also in case any of you were wondering, my inspiration for Fang is Avan Jogia. He played Beck on that Nickelodeon show, Victorious. I think he would make a beautiful Fang. I had trouble writing about Fang without making him sound so aggressively emo. I think there's more to him than his black clothes, you know? And Beck just became my muse. So I hope you guys are okay with that. **

**Don't forget to review!(:**

**-Cydney**


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